HG55 design

LittleBill

LittleBill

Joined
Jan 25, 2010
Messages
86
The HG55 strikes me as a classic fighting design, basically a beefed-up Bowie: upswept clip point for thrusting, forward-canted blade with a bit of a belly for slashing...

not the least bit utilitarian, as most Busses are---you wouldn't want to pry open any doors with it---but for a CQB knife carried for the purpose of personal defense, it would seem to be ideal... maybe it could be a bit thinner/lighter... but clearly all Busses are built for strength...

I don't particularly like the look of the 'corrugated bevels', but they don't bother me that much either: apparently Busse designed them in to lighten the blade without much decrease in strength...

or am I missing something?
 
here is a pic of one without bevels

PICT0075.jpg
 
I use mine like a small hatchet sometimes. And baton it through wood, the CB's also keep the material being sliced from "binding" to the blade surface and making the blade catch producing a lot of resistance.

And yeah it's make a good fighter also :)
Really reminds me of a shorter WWII K-bar
 
It really depends on the way you handle a blade when you fight. I prefer a drop point or double edged knives for CQB. But that's me, a lot of people have their preferences.

However 'corrugated bevels' do have a practical side, they prevent the blade from geting stuck once you stab something deep. I shouldn't say they prevent it, but they make it easier to pull the knife out.

The problem with HG55 at least in my eyes is the fact that it is a designated fighter, but its too big for an EDC in most cases. And if you think about the military operations, well the knife is carried by today's troops more of as a tool then a CQC weapon. Its one of the greatest achievements by the US military once you think about it. The operations are planed with consideration for every soldiers safety in mind. And with emphasis on making sure that soldiers don't get pinned down, or get into situations where they would have to use a knife (we are not talking about special forces here). So the knife while still has to perform as a last resort weapon, primarily intended to be used as a tool. Therefore a combat grade steel heart will be far more useful.

This makes HG55 a lot more of a collectors item rather then a user. Still this doesn't make the knife any less reliable, and it can be used for a variety of tasks.
 
One of my most hated busses, that and everything with serrations. There's a knife for everyone though, some love them.
 
hog55,it is my first Busse blade , i love it ,but there is one thing i have to say ,that i can not deal with , is the dimples on the spine , when i push a little hard with my thumb on it , i feel hurting a little bit. (i give it to my best friend , he deserve it .)other aspects of it are perfect for a fighting knife .
 
all this negative talk about the HG55, and all the praising of the Satin Jack, if you take them and put one atop another you will be mildly surprised....
 
Volk said:
It really depends on the way you handle a blade when you fight. I prefer a drop point or double edged knives for CQB. But that's me, a lot of people have their preferences.
Click to expand...

I hear you, and I agree: everything else being equal, a double-edged blade makes a better fighting knife.

The big drawback of a double-edged blade is that they're illegal to carry in most places; so you won't have it with you when you need it. So it makes sense to train with both.

I do keep a dagger handy at home.
 
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When I first saw the HG55, it's blade shape reminded me of the Buck 119. Which I thought was probably the most popular woods knife of the past 30 years.

Buck_119_Hunting_Knife.jpg
 
I love my HG55, used it for field dressing whitetail last season for giggles. It's a bit big for the duty but it's always fun to use.

When I first saw it I thought of the old Schrade Golden Spike, they're a big hunting knife.

The HG55 is a good all around knife. To me this means I'd be comfortable using it for marshmallow sticks and other tedious camp chores, field dressing game, and fighting off a Sasquatch.:thumbup:

I leave you with a pic.
120909dump013.jpg

That smile is a thinly sliced piece of venie from one I dressed with the HG55. Kind of a field to feast thing.:)
 
I think the HG is a good fighter design regardless of how you prefer to hold it:
a) normal sabre type grip (up swept blade usually means slicer to me, and the way the corregations run seems to confirm that)
b) inverse, with blade inwards (the tip makes a good surface to rake with, when doing a inverse slashing motion)
c) inverse, with blade facing out --- ( shape of blade is self explanatory )

definitely more of a slicer that a stabber to me
and with modern fighting knives, 5 1/2 - 7 inches seems to be the way to go, blade is long enough to puncture vital organs and arteries, but not bowie length which I think would be too long for most CQC situations. Think getting stuck in a elevator or something of similar dimensions, too tight to be swinging a long knife, too cramped to move your rifle around, but ... as always a pistol would be better :D

as a civilian, it's more likely I'd have a pocket knife, small fixed ( 4inch blade or shorter), or a pistol.
 
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Jack Shen said:
definitely more of a slicer that a stabber to me
Click to expand...

I, and the scar in my palm can attest to the fact that its a Very efficient stabber. :o Pic was taken as I yanked the pad off my hand, that instant.

hg55basketdamage.jpg


hg55basketdamager.jpg
 
The HG55 is a great design for a military knife, where you need something small. Seems like most people like the huge Busse knives, but a +12" long heavy knife isnt appealing to a soldier already humping 100+ pounds of gear. Most of my career I used an Air Force survival knife for that reason; small, light and all I needed.
 
I just got an HG55 and I wish Busse had this out while I was in the service. It seems to be about the right size to carry.

I agree, most soldiers now dont want to carry a big blade. It just gets in the way amidst all that other crap we had to carry. I used a CRK GB and at time it got in the way, but it won me alot of cool points along the way.

Thats what war is all about right; wearing cool sun glasses, having a tricked out M-4 and a bad a$$ knife. Just kidding. An HG 55 would have been carried by this guy if I had one then.

JT
 
Jack Shen said:
I think the HG is a good fighter design regardless of how you prefer to hold it:
a) normal sabre type grip (up swept blade usually means slicer to me, and the way the corregations run seems to confirm that)
b) inverse, with blade inwards (the tip makes a good surface to rake with, when doing a inverse slashing motion)
c) inverse, with blade facing out --- ( shape of blade is self explanatory )

definitely more of a slicer that a stabber to me
and with modern fighting knives, 5 1/2 - 7 inches seems to be the way to go, blade is long enough to puncture vital organs and arteries, but not bowie length which I think would be too long for most CQC situations. Think getting stuck in a elevator or something of similar dimensions, too tight to be swinging a long knife, too cramped to move your rifle around, but ... as always a pistol would be better :D

as a civilian, it's more likely I'd have a pocket knife, small fixed ( 4inch blade or shorter), or a pistol.
Click to expand...

A lot of valid points.

a) in that grip an upward strike is one of the most devastating knife attacks, usually it is very hard to notice it in advance, especially if you are not ready for a fight. Its is also among the hardest strikes to defend against. The drawback of it is the amount of commitment. Here is where bevels play a huge role. On an up side when it comes to sneaking up, or surprise attacks (we now have strayed away from any notion of self defense and have gone into the gray clandestine area) this particular shape allows for those surprise devastating upward strikes, under the ribs or under the arm pit. Now I can't stress this enough, this is no longer self defense.

b) That's how I hold my knives, and I prefer my points not to rake but to dig in. Also there are certain other benefits of this hold which are do not need to be discussed in self defense scenarios. The natural question is then why not use the knife in grip "c" for that, I still like to cut in grip "b."

But that is my preference. I think if you put these grips in order they can be best utilized on this knife then it would be a, c, b. And while stabs are far more deadly in general slashes can be a non lethal deterrent (don't try to argue that point in court). They can deliver just enough hurt for the bad guy to stop his assault and back away, combined with the fact that they require less commitment they may be a better option for civilian applications. In a court though no matter what or how you fought, if you had a knife they will not make a distinction between how you fought (weather you stabbed or slashed) in your favor. Matter of fact you have to be ready to face the following argument in court even when you used your spyderco delica or what not. They may try to show that you used the knife (deadly force) when you were not in fear for your life (since you were fighting in a way to keep your opponent alive) and therefore you have harmed your attacker. He will face his crime, but may still sue you for damages. So always use your head before your weapon.

And at close space like an elevator, is not good for somebody with a gun. Ideally you would want to be out of hands reach when using a fire arm. Psychologically speaking, (unless you are very well trained) an armed person puts a lot more attention on the weapon, and often times neglecting other opportunities. Same thing as if when you are fighting somebody who is not a pro at knife combat, he will not kick, and rarely will grab or punch with a free hand. That is their downfall. If you both know how to use a knife properly in a knife fight, chance of any one of you walking away from it are based on pure luck. In an elevator I would fire from the hip just maximize the distance from his arm to a weapon. Still a person with a hand gun does have an advantage, but its not big enough to get over confident.

Stay safe, use your knifes for camping.
 
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